We explore Tom Blachford’s beautifully-shot photographic series of modernist houses under the full moon
Who? Tom Blachford is a self-taught photographer based in Melbourne, Australia – "his favourite place in the world." He began to take photographs while he was in the middle of a business degree. Despite never studying art or photography he became consumed by it, and dropped out to pursue his new passion full time. "As soon as someone put a camera in my hand," he says, "it just changed everything for me. Ever since then, I have built my whole life around it."
What? Midnight Modern is Blachford’s second series of photographs of Palm Springs modernist houses shot under the full moon – "an exploration between the moonlight, the mid-century architecture, and the mountainous landscape." They are being exhibited as part of Modernism Week on 20th February inside the iconic Menrad Residence, a restored 1950’s home. In true Palm Springs style, the final viewing will culminate in an evening cocktail party by the pool.
"The most joy I get from photography is when I can capture something that was hiding in plain sight" — Tom Blachford
The series, which are coolly beautiful with a twist of Hopper-esque mystery, first originated almost by accident when Blachford ran out of time when shooting the neighbourhood on his first ever visit to California. He was struck by the gentle quality of the moonlight and the clear night skies, unsullied by clouds and unpolluted by street-light. The homeowners, unsurprisingly, loved the images, which are shot as simply as possible, using only a camera and tripod. This, he says "then opened up a whole new world of possibilities, to play with lighting, angles and even some incredible vintage cars," which became part of the second series.
Why? Blachford says that his work "is mostly responding to and interpreting the man-made environment around me. I try to find new ways to shoot things, or new perspectives that can help elevate things that have gone un-noticed to be their own art. I also love creating ambiguous scale and warping time and context." The photographs were shot with lengthy shutter speeds, allowing the stars to seem as though they are moving – "an effect I love," he says. "I think the moonlight is really an incredible light source, it basically has all of the same qualities as the brightest days sun, but so subtle our eyes almost can’t see it. The camera allows me to stretch time to soak in more of this light and let the viewer properly experience the effect." "The most joy I get from photography," he expains, "is when I can capture something that was hiding in plain sight."
